NRC Votes to Draft White Pond Position Statement

Natural Resources Commission · Meeting of October 29, 2026

Wellesley's Natural Resources Commission voted unanimously to draft a Town Meeting position statement on White Pond and backed a track and field renovation. Chair Steve Park and NRC Director Brandon Schmitt were directed to prepare language supporting conservation of the pond while asking petitioners to first resolve whether the Karisbrook White Pond Trust still legally exists before spending further on title research. The citizen's petition, Article 16, seeks up to $100,000 in free cash ahead of the November 9 special Town Meeting.

Land Trust board member Dawn Davis told the board "does the NRC still see White Pond as a strategic asset," while commissioners weighed a late-breaking claim from a prospective new trustee. Separately, the commission voted 5-0 to support a Department of Public Works plan to renovate Hunnewell Track and Field's turf and track, estimated at $1.5 million and $500,000 respectively.

In the full story:

• Morses Pond Beach and Bathhouse Update
• Town Meeting Business: Article 16 and the Future of White Pond
• Path at Shaw Common
• Hunnewell Track and Field Capital Budget Vote
• Liaison Reports
• Director's Report: Projects and Permits
• FY28 Draft Budget and Staffing
• Climate Emergency, Minutes and Scheduling
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,529 words

Source: the Natural Resources Commission meeting of October 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.